And We Are For the Dark
by KT Maiden
Summary: The longawaited sequel to In Midwinter's Stillness! Something is wrong with Zelda. She keeps waking up with holes in her memory. What's more, strange things are happening at Smash Mansion. Something sinister festers in the darkness. Romance is slight in t
1. Chapter 1

**KT: Welcome back everyone! Summer is over, the new school year has finally begun, and the third installment of The Smashketeers Trilogy is here!**

**Link: Whoa… you mean you actually came up with a name for the trilogy?**

**Marth: That's truly wonderful, My Lady! I'm so glad it finally has a title.**

**KT: Wait… you're all happy about the title? Not about the fact that I'm finally posting the story?**

**Roy: Oh, don't get us wrong, we're ecstatic about the story. **

**Link: It's just that we were getting so sick of you calling it "That SSBM Trilogy Thingie" all the time. **

**Roy: But about the story, who's the main character this time?**

**KT: Ah, well, I'm not going to tell you that. However, I will say that there are no new original characters in this one. Sarah Holly and Jasmine Miles are still the only two. **

**Karanos: Alright, you lot. Stop this emotional nonsense. We've got work to do. My ship is a mess since we left it alone this whole summer! Get to work cleaning up! Go, swabbies, or no swag for you!**

**KT: Right, and It's Marth's turn to do the stuff!**

**Marth: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly and Jasmine Miles. She fancies she owns me.**

**KT: Well, here we go! The first chapter of "And We Are For the Dark"! By the way, this story picks up directly from where In Midwinter's Stillness ended, so you may want to go back and read the epilogue of that story, just so you know where this is coming from. Have fun!

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"**The bright day is done, and we are for the dark." – William Shakespeare**

The group of friends rushed from the dining hall, following after a flustered Link. Sarah moved closer to the Hero in order to talk to him.

"Link, what's happening to her?" she asked.

Link kept his gaze fixed straight ahead of him as he walked toward the girls' dorms. "I don't know what's making her like this, but she's thrashing around in her sleep. It looks like she's having a fit."

Sarah could see the expression of fear on the Hylian's face. She was feeling pretty scared herself. Link had burst into the kitchen only moments ago, telling the group that something was wrong with Zelda. Sarah wondered if the Fates were out to get the princess of Hyrule. She had only just recovered from a terrible sword wound a few months ago, and was apparently being stricken once again.

Zelda was still twisting when they reached the room. The princess was sweating freely, and her face was distorted with an expression that seemed to change from fear to pain and then to anger, eventually moving to others that Sarah couldn't name. The worst part though, was the screaming. Zelda's head was thrown back upon her pillow, and her mouth was open, her throat working to force the sound out, except none came. The scene was completely silent, save for the rustling of the bed sheets.

Roy stepped forward and looked at Zelda closely. "She's asleep. I'd say she's having a nightmare."

"That must be some nightmare," Peach huffed from the corner. "Let's wake her up, quick."

Link and Marth moved to the bed and attempted to hold the princess down while Peach spoke to her. The fit grew frantic for a moment, then seemed to slow, and finally stopped altogether. The boys let go of her, and she lay still.

Jazz tried shaking her lightly, but Zelda didn't wake. "She's breathing regularly, though, so I think she's okay for now."

Sarah bit her lip. She'd feel better if Doctor Mario examined her friend, just to be safe. "I think we should take her down to the hospital wing. If something was really wrong with her, he can put a stop to it."

"I think that's a good idea, My Lady. We shouldn't leave things to chance," Marth said.

Link leaned against the bedpost and crossed his arms. "I don't see what that quack can do for her. If it was a nightmare, then Zelda's the one who knows the most about it. She does have prophetic dreams," he pointed out.

Sarah managed to hold back her laughter and kept a serious face. "I'm aware of her visions, but we can't be positive that this is what has happened here. I'd feel much more at ease if we had Doctor Mario look at her. Besides, he did help heal her last injury, didn't he?"

Link just scowled and turned around to pick the princess up. "You're probably right, as usual."

Zelda stayed asleep the whole way to the hospital wing, and Doctor Mario bustled over as Link laid her on one of the beds. Sarah watched as the doctor performed some tests. The poor doctor was trying his best to work under Link's steely glare, but it was clearly making him uncomfortable. Sarah got Marth's attention and gave him a look. Marth smiled back at her and stood beside his glaring friend.

"Link, I think I heard someone call your name out in the hall," the prince said quietly.

Link glanced at the door. "I didn't hear it."

Marth took hold of Link's arm. "But I did. Let's go check it out." He dragged a stuttering Link out the door, and Doctor Mario took advantage of the opening.

A few moments later, the doctor turned to the remaining group. "As far as I can tell, she's fine. I'll keep her here overnight if you want, but she's not in any danger."

Sarah sighed in relief. False alarms were always more welcome than real catastrophes.

Peach nodded to Doctor Mario. "I certainly would like her to stay. I don't care what Link says about you. At the very least, you're the only doctor we have here."

Doctor Mario smiled uneasily. "Thank you, I think."

With a last look at the sleeping Zelda, Sarah led the others out into the hallway, where Marth was waiting. The prince was holding Link in check by the back of his belt. The Hylian was facing away from Marth, pouting with arms crossed.

Sarah grinned when she saw them, and moved to stand with Marth. "Doctor Mario says there's nothing wrong with her, but we're letting her stay in the hospital wing overnight."

Marth let go of Link's belt and put his arms around Sarah, making her feel warm and happy. She saw Roy glare at Jazz, and had to pretend she was sneezing in order to hide her laughter. It was quite obvious to her what they were thinking. Roy's competitive side was getting to him, and he wanted to show his affection for the blond girl just as Marth was doing with Sarah. Jasmine was just a little shy about it.

"Well, she's okay, so that's good," Link said, ignoring the sudden sneezing fit at his side. "Do you think we can get some dinner here?"

"Oh! Yes, I started some while we were in the kitchen earlier. I just have to set it out," Sarah said.

Dinner was fairly uneventful. A few Smashers congratulated Roy on his victory against Captain Falcon earlier in the day, and Peach chatted animatedly about the racer's various reactions to Roy's attacks. Sarah amused herself by watching Jasmine become gradually angrier at Peach.

"Peach, I swear, if you do not shut up right now, I will go to the items closet, get one of those mallets, and whack you with it many times," Jazz called across the table eventually. Peach fell into a bewildered silence, and dinner continued.

Later that evening, while the Smashers were celebrating the opening day of the new Tournament, Sarah and Marth spent some quality time together in her office. What with her being so busy lately, they didn't often get the chance.

Marth pulled away from her slightly and brushed her hair off of her face. "You know, I'd almost like it better if your hair was longer. You could at least tie it back, then."

Sarah laughed and pushed away from the wall she had been leaning against. Well, she thought, _leaning_ wasn't really the right word. She and Marth had gotten a little more excited than they'd meant to, and Marth had ended up pushing her up against it. She had to agree with the prince, however. She didn't like having to stop just because her hair was getting in the way.

"If I were to grow it out, it would take a long time, and it would get even more in the way while we wait," she said with a smile. She took the few steps over to her desk and opened the bottom left drawer. Marth groaned as she pulled out some files.

"Don't tell me you still have work to do?" he asked.

"It's not much. Just some clean-up from the battles today. Actually, this should be the last night I have anything to do like this. It's only because today is the opening day of the Tournament," Sarah said, looking at Marth over her shoulder. "You should go on up to bed. It sounds like everyone else has, anyway."

Marth shook his head. "No, I couldn't. I'll stay while you finish your work."

Sarah rolled her eyes. This was so like him. "Marth, you don't have to act so chivalrous all the time, you know. Go to bed. I'll be up in a half hour, at the latest." She made shooing motions with her hands.

Marth smiled and laughed. "Fine, I'll go, but don't even think of complaining about my leaving you here later on!" He kissed her once more and left.

Sarah sighed. She wished she hadn't sent him away, but there was no way she could get her work done with him there. She wouldn't be able to concentrate after such kisses as those. With a smile, she drew the files across the desk and began her work.

**

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KT: Wasn't that fun?**

**Marth/blushes/ **

**Roy: KT, you've got to stop giving Marth kissing scenes. It takes him hours to regain his natural color.**

**Link: This is not a very interesting start.**

**KT: Oh, be quiet you. None of my starts are very interesting. Trust me, this is the best start of the whole Trilogy.**

**Karanos: You bet it is. I thought it up. Now stop lollygagging and swab those decks! And you! Readers! You know what I'm going to say, don't you? That's right. Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**KT: Look! I'm updating on time! **

**Karanos: Hmph. BARELY on time. You're really pushing it.**

**Link: Ooh! KT is getting berated again! **

**Marth: it's not a spectator sport. /scowls/**

**Roy: No, but it is fun to watch.**

**KT: Oh, you guys are always so polite. Look, don't you want to get to the chapter?**

**Link: but we're having so much fun insulting you!**

**Karanos: Yes, we'll get to the chapter in a minute. Insults come first.**

**Marth: Um… Milady Karanos… The fans want the chapter now.**

**Karanos: What? Oh, oh yes. Fine. Marth, do the stuff.**

**Marth: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly and Jasmine Miles, and sometimes I even believe she owns me.**

**Karanos: KT, answer the reviews, and I might give you a cookie.**

**KT: Yay! Cookies!**

**Hylian Dragoness – I'm sorry (to everyone) about the long wait between stories, but as I said in the author's notes at the end of IMS, everyone was too busy over the summer to work on this. Plus, we all needed a break from the stress of keeping up with a story. (Karanos: Hmph, yeah, if you call always being late for your deadlines 'keeping up with a story.') In any case, this one will be much darker. Don't worry about scaring anyone away. Karanos handles that pretty well.**

**Lemurian 04 – I never intend to keep my readers waiting. It just sort of happens… heheh… Thanks for sticking with us!**

**Ledzeplisa – Hmm… were you being sarcastic about the exciting bit? I would put in the play information if I knew it, (was that really from Antony and Cleopatra?) but I'm too lazy to look it up. Besides, the quote is really supposed to be a header. Don't want it to be too cluttered.**

**Max Fuchs – Trust me, our logic and normality stabilizers have been 'out of order' for quite some time now. And if I don't listen to Karanos, I lose something. Like a finger.**

**Roy-Marth – I'm glad you like it! I just hope you like the rest of it too, hahah!**

**Karanos: Um… okay. I don't want to get wounded. I guess… I do come up with some pretty cool stuff sometimes. And it WAS my idea to end chapter 14 of GOOT after Roy had been drugged. Karanos/raises fist menacingly/ KT/cowers/ Wah! Okay, okay, that was your idea!**

**Lvmj – Haha, Roy doesn't like it when Marth gets kissing scenes and he doesn't. He's really just a jealous, hormonal teenage boy. Roy: I am not! KT: Sure you're not, sweetie. Anyway, I hope you get the chance to keep up with the story!**

**Polska: Okay, just so you know, both Karanos and I agree that your review totally rocks. I mean totally. Karanos is making you an honorary Swabbie. I'm really flattered that you like my stories so much. Yeah, Roy is fun to torture, and Marth's kissing scenes are the best things to torture him with! But now I only have four words for you: HERE'S THE CHAPTER! Whoops, that's only three…**

**KT: Whew! There were a lot this time!**

**Roy: Let's get to the chapter! I'm so curious about this one.**

**Link: Yeah, me too. I mean, we don't usually know much about the stories, but this one we know even less about!**

**Karanos: Then shut up and read.

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"**The night is too dark to walk with your eyes closed." – Peter Sintic**

Link hated mornings. The Hero couldn't think of anything he disliked more than the quiet, half-asleep feeling of mornings, and so he avoided them at all costs. He was usually among the last few Smashers to wake up each morning, and he liked it that way. He was perfectly content to let Roy and Marth be the morning people in his dorm.

Today was a very strange day.

The first rays of light were just starting to come through the thin curtains over the window when Link woke up. Pulling his green cap from where he'd hung it on his bedpost, he sat up and looked across the room at the bunk bed. Roy and Marth were both asleep still. Link put his cap on and set about dressing quietly, angry at himself for waking up so early. He wondered vaguely when Marth had come to bed. He had thought the prince would stay with Sarah. Remembering that he had a battle later that day, he strapped his sword to his back before silently creeping out of the room.

Link felt sick. The writhing feeling in his stomach was what had woken him up. Every time something happened to Zelda, he felt this way. If the princess didn't stop finding ways to get herself hurt soon, he'd get in trouble with the king. After all, he was supposed to be protecting her from such things as injury and illness. He almost couldn't stand to look his princess in the eye anymore, he had failed her so badly. Not that he would tell anyone, but he'd had a hard time looking at himself in the mirror for a while after he'd stabbed her during their battle last season. Even now, almost nine months since the incident, he sometimes felt like he was unworthy of her friendship.

Without realizing it, Link had walked all the way down to the hospital wing as he brooded. He stood outside the room for a moment, surprised at how wrapped up in his thoughts he had become, before knocking sharply at the door. He felt a great need to see Zelda right now, even if she was still asleep.

No one answered Link's knock. When he tried opening the door, he found it locked. Cursing softly under his breath, the Hero turned from the hospital wing and started for the dining hall. This is why I don't trust that quack, he thought as he walked. It wasn't that he doubted the little man's abilities as a doctor. He knew they were actually far superior to most anyone else's. The problem was that the doctor wasn't reliable. He tended to go out sporadically and without any warning. Besides, Link reasoned, watching over Zelda was _his_ responsibility, not the doctor's.

Marth was just starting on his breakfast when Link entered the dining hall. The prince smiled and waved at him cheerfully, and Link joined him after getting his own breakfast.

"Good morning! You're up early today," Marth said with a barely-visible smirk.

Link grunted. "Shut up, Marth. I didn't want to get up at this ungodly hour. The least you can do is help me pretend it's a lot later than it feels like."

Marth laughed. "Sorry, Link. I can't help you there. I like mornings, you know. I'd rather drag them out."

"You're weird," Link said, suppressing a shudder at his friend's comment.

Marth changed the subject. "So, you've been down to see Zelda, I presume?"

Link sighed. "I tried. That lame excuse for a healer is out or something. The hospital wing was locked up."

Marth bent his head over his tray. "Out? Or maybe he was getting his full allotment of beauty sleep?" The prince looked at Link through his bangs, trying to hide his mischievous smile.

"Shut UP!" Link yelled, standing up and leaning over the table to swat at Marth. Marth laughed again, and Link sat down. He felt better after shouting, and Marth's laughter helped fill up the otherwise silent dining hall. Link hated quiet.

Marth calmed down slowly and propped his chin on his hand. "Do you know anything about a new Smasher?"

Link was startled. "What? A new Smasher?" He took a bite of his toast and chewed it slowly. "No, I haven't heard anything about that. Why are you asking me? Aren't you the one who's closest to Sarah?"

Marth smiled. "I certainly hope so. Anyway, I'm asking you because she _hasn't _said anything about it to me, but I saw someone walking in the corridors near the main entrance last night when I came to bed. He seemed to know where he was going, so I didn't say anything to him, but I was wondering if he was here to, you know, fill that vacant position."

Link remembered all too well the reason for that vacant position. He would never forgive Samus for everything she had done before Sarah had caught her.

"I still don't understand why you're asking me, of all people. I mean, I'm usually the last person to hear about important stuff like that."

"Ah, right. I thought you might know about it because he looked a little like he might be Hylian," Marth said almost casually. Link could tell he was really curious.

"Hylian? Hmm… I'm sorry, Marth, but I really have no idea about it. What did he look like?"

Marth bit his lip. "It's hard to tell. He had bandages covering much of his face; however, his outfit was interesting. It was all blue, and pretty tight. I could see how muscular this guy was. There was also a strange symbol on the front of it. It looked sort of like something I've seen in Zelda's room, so I connected that with the Hylian features I could see and assumed…" he trailed off.

Link brushed his bangs irritably out of his eyes. "What did the symbol look like?"

"Like an eye with a large teardrop falling from the center of it."

Link's breath caught in his throat. It couldn't be what it sounded like. The Shiekah had all died out long ago. Impa, Zelda's childhood nurse, was the last of that mysterious race, and she had passed away a little over four years before. If Marth had seen the Shiekah symbol on this person, either they had an impersonator on their hands or Marth had simply been seeing things.

"Link?" Marth said, pulling Link out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, just thinking."

Marth smiled. "That's alright. Tell me what you're thinking about."

Link leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, even though the dining hall was still completely empty besides themselves. "I think the symbol you saw belongs to and ancient race in Hyrule called the Shiekah, but they all died out a long time ago. They were supposed to be highly superior warriors, and they used to be the chief protectors of the throne."

Marth raised his eyebrows, interested. "What happened to them?"

Link sighed. "According to the Royal Library, they were practically wiped out during an attack on the castle almost a hundred years ago. Only three survived that battle. They managed to carry on their race for a while longer, but Zelda's old nurse died four years ago, and she was the last of them."

Marth frowned. "That's so sad."

Link couldn't decide if it was ironic or appropriate for the prince to say that. His own history was pretty tragic as well. "In any event, the person you saw may have been bearing their mark, but I don't think it was a Shiekah. It's impossible."

Marth's answer was cut off as Doctor Mario came bustling into the dining hall. "Oh, thank goodness. I've been looking for you, Link," the little doctor said.

Link glared at him, immediately suspicious. "What's happened to Zelda?"

"Oh, no! Nothing's happened to Zelda, don't worry about that!" Doctor Mario squeaked nervously. "I just came to tell you so that you wouldn't worry about her. It seems that she left on her own in the middle of the night. I looked in her room, just to make sure, and she's there, asleep."

Link felt relief flood through him. Zelda was all right! He felt like he could sing.

"Okay, thanks for telling me. I… really appreciate it," he said to the doctor, reluctantly complimenting him for the first time.

Doctor Mario turned red, squeaked again, and ran off.

Marth laughed. "You'd better watch out, Link. I think he likes you."

Link blanched. "What? _Likes_ me? What on earth do you mean by that?"

"Don't tell me you didn't know Doctor Mario is gay?"

"What? You're kidding!"

"Yes, yes I am. But you're a lot of fun to tease. You're so gullible, Link."

Link made a point of shoving the prince off of his bench as he made his way out of the dining hall. He had to talk to Zelda right away.

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KT: Well, that's it, I guess. Not much of a cliffie for this one.**

**Link: Thank the Goddesses for that. I hate cliff hangers.**

**Roy: This chapter was boring.**

**Marth: I thought it was good.**

**Link and Roy: Pansy.**

**Karanos: Oh, no, not this again.**

**Marth: You want to fight about it? I'll fight you both!**

**KT: Don't hurt yourselves, okay? Readers, review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Roy: Is it really true?**

**Link: I can't believe it! Those stupid, idiotic…**

**Marth: Well, it could be worse…**

**Karanos: ALL RIGHT, what have I missed this time?**

**KT: We're not allowed to answer reviewers anymore.**

**Karanos: what! That's insane! How will I gather my minions?**

**KT: I don't know, but all it leaves us with is to do the stuff and introduce the chapter. Marth?**

**Marth: Yes, Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly and Jasmine Miles.**

**KT: Um… Roy! Introduce the chapter this time!**

**Roy: Oh, okay. Here's the chapter.**

**

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"Darkness of slumber and death, forever sinking and sinking." – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow**

Zelda woke up suddenly, gasping in pain and fear. She was drenched in cold sweat, and the sheets were soaked with it. She lay still for a while, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down. The dream had seemed so real. Of course, she reminded herself harshly, it _was_ real, even though it wasn't happening right where she was.

Zelda sat up carefully. She could see that she was in her room. Light came into the room through the curtains, falling in a thin line along the floor and far wall. Zelda looked at the light and shook her head, trying to forget the details of her dream. She pushed the covers off herself and moved over to her mirror.

"Oh, shit."

The person that stared out of the mirror at her was not the princess of Hyrule, nor did it look anything like her. Instead, long, unkempt blond bangs fell from a large gray bandage around her upper head, almost completely obscuring a pair of blood-red eyes. Her face was covered from the nose down by a thick gray scarf. She wore a skin-tight blue suit which showed bulging muscles underneath. Bandages were everywhere, seemingly random in their locations, though every finger was wrapped. In the center of the chest was a large symbol: an eye with a teardrop falling from the center.

Shiek looked at herself in the mirror for a long while before she moved again. It had been a long time since she had become Shiek. It brought up bad memories for her. If only she had handled things better back then… Shiek turned from the mirror and walked gracefully back to the bed. Leaning heavily on one of the bedposts, she lost herself in memories.

When she and Link were children, they had been so optimistic, thought they could save the world all by themselves. Zelda never foresaw how Ganondorf would use Link for his evil purposes. If only she had realized, if she had even stopped to think! Maybe Ganondorf would have remained a simple Gerudo thief, slinking around in dark alleyways, with no real power.

Her first mistake had been to ask Link to help out in the first place. The ocarina would have been so much safer if it had simply been protected by her own powers, even weak as they were back then. Her second mistake was Shiek. The use of her alter ego had been necessary to avoid detection by Ganondorf, but she never should have hidden herself from Link. She had waited until the last medallion had been collected to reveal herself, and that had been the worst mistake of all. Everything that had happened to Link to make him suffer had been because of her blunders, thinking that she could do anything simply because she was the princess of Hyrule, the bearer of the sacred name of Zelda.

Of course, at the end of the whole ordeal, she had sent Link back to his own time to let him grow up properly. He couldn't forget his hardships and the fighting, but he had to forget tiny pieces of the story. Zelda had locked his memories of Shiek into a small corner of his mind. It was essential for both of them to have proper lives afterward.

Sheik brushed her bangs out of her eyes and sighed heavily. She must have transformed in the middle of the night during the dream. She was a much better fighter than Zelda, and judging by the nature of the dream, she must have felt safer in this form. It made some sense, at least.

A light knock came on the door, and Shiek spun around in surprise, crouching down in the blink of an eye, ready to tackle any would-be attacker. Ha, she thought to herself humorlessly. Zelda couldn't have pulled that off. Zelda would have jumped and shrieked daintily.

"Zelda? Are you awake?" someone called from the other side of the door. Shiek recognized the slightly muffled voice as Link's. She stood up quickly, panicking a little.

"Uh, yes! D-don't come in yet!" she called shrilly. Quickly, she waved her arms and muttered some strange words under her breath. A moment later, Zelda stood in her room again. Luckily, she was still in her pajamas from last night. She stepped lightly across the room and opened the door, panting slightly.

Link's eyes shone with concern the moment he saw her. "Zelda! Are you okay?" he asked, stepping into the room.

Zelda smiled at him reassuringly. "Yes, yes I'm fine. You just caught me in the middle of getting ready to take a shower."

A light splash of pink appeared across the Hero's cheeks and nose, but he handled himself with a dignity that Marth would be proud of.

"Oh, that's good. I ran into Dr. Mario this morning, and he said you had left the hospital wing on your own this morning, so I just wanted to check up on you."

"What?" Zelda asked, instantly confused. When had she been in the hospital wing?

Link seemed to misunderstand her question. "Oh, come on Zel, you know I don't trust Dr. Mario! I _had_ to check up on you."

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Zelda said, waving her hands before her. "I wasn't in the hospital wing at all. I mean, I've been here all night, haven't I?"

Now Link looked confused. "Zelda, we took you to the hospital wing yesterday evening when you were having fits in your sleep. Dr. Mario kept you for observations."

Zelda didn't say anything. She'd been having fits in her sleep. That couldn't be good. What if they found out? They were sure to tell her to stop as soon as they discovered it. She couldn't let that happen.

"Zelda? Are you sure you're okay?" Link asked, interrupting her thoughts.

The princess smiled again quickly. "Yes, yes. I'm perfectly fine. Now leave me alone so I can get my shower." She shooed him out of her room, trying not to laugh at the deeper shade of red that now colored Link's face.

As she moved toward her bathroom, Zelda promised herself that she would never be so foolish as to put Link in harm's way again. After all the things they had been through together, she simply couldn't bear to cause any more pain to the man she loved.

**

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KT: There you go. Sorry it's a little short this time. Not much happens in this one, I'm afraid.**

**Link: Did she just say she loved me? Hot dog!**

**Roy: Oh, get over it. You're not a couple, me and Jazz are.**

**Marth: Yeah, but Jazz is too shy to show it.**

**Roy: grr…**

**Karanos: Shut up, all of you. People, we can't answer you anymore, but we still love to hear from you. Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Roy: I still can't believe that we're not answering reviews anymore.**

**Link: I know, it totally sucks.**

**Karanos: What do you mean 'it sucks'? I can't recruit minions anymore!**

**KT: Look, everyone, just settle down. We'll work something out, I promise. We won't let our reviewers go unanswered! For now, just deal with it though. Marth? Stuff.**

**Marth: Yes, My Lady. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly and Jasmine Miles.**

**KT: Okay, Link, you introduce the chapter this time.**

**Link: Joy. I give you… the chapter.**

**

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"I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark." – Thomas Hobbes**

Jasmine Miles grunted as she lifted the heavy bucket of weeds and trudged down the garden path with it. Sometimes, she thought to herself as the bucket banged against her shins painfully, her job was not very much fun. It was hardly fair that she was the only person in the entire mansion that had to pull weeds this early in the morning.

The blond girl set the bucket down and flexed her hands to get the blood running through them again. It wasn't that she didn't like Sarah, no, no; Sarah was probably her best friend. It was just a simple matter of having to get up early on any day of the week and pull weeds. Jazz sighed. She supposed she should be happy that it was such a beautiful morning. Last week it had been a nasty, cold, drizzly day, and she'd felt damp and moldy all day afterward. She almost shivered just thinking about it.

Jazz stripped off her work gloves and went gratefully into the air conditioned mansion. Even if it _was_ a beautiful day out, she was still sweating heavily after her work. Unfortunately, she had to check in with Sarah before she could go get a shower. Impatient to feel clean, she hastened down the hallway, passing the dining hall.

"Milady Jasmine!" a voice called from the hall. Jazz didn't even have to turn around to know that it was the Altean prince.

"Hello, Marth. Had breakfast yet?" she asked conversationally.

Marth smiled as he came to stand beside her. "Yes. I've got a battle this afternoon, so I wanted to get an early start on the day."

Jazz laughed. "Marth, according to your standards, this is a positively _late_ start."

Marth ducked his head sheepishly. "Yes, I know. I was actually up a lot earlier than this. I just got held up in there by Link," he said, gesturing to the dining hall. "We were having a conversation about Hyrulian history."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "I still don't see why you like history so much. I think it's just plain _boring._"

"I know you do," Marth said, cuffing her lightly on the head. "I'm heading to the training room. Want to come?"

Jazz shook her head. "Sorry, Sarah's got me for work today. I think you should talk to her about this schedule of hers. I mean, I would do it myself, but you've got so much more…_ sway_… over her, right?" she said with a sly smile. She was satisfied when she saw the prince's cheeks turn faintly pink.

"You've really got to stop teasing us. I'll see you later," Marth said with a small wave over his shoulder as he left. Jasmine laughed.

Once he had disappeared around the corner, she sighed. She knew she should stop teasing for her own sake, as well as Marth and Sarah's. It was because she was scared of being teased herself that she wanted to keep her relationship with Roy a secret. She knew it annoyed Roy, and that he wanted to be more open about it, but she couldn't help it. She just wasn't ready for people to know.

She had just started walking toward Sarah's office again when a traumatized Ness tore around the corner, slamming into Jazz with the force of a small rhino. When she finally managed to stand up again, she glowered at the psychic boy.

"What are you doing, running around like that? You could seriously hurt someone! You _did_ seriously hurt _me!_"

Ness backed up a bit. "I'm sorry, Jazz. Really, I didn't mean to hurt you. I… I… uwaah!" he stammered, tears interrupting his last words.

Jazz bit her lip. She wasn't any good with kids, but she did really like Ness sometimes. "Look, stop crying, okay? I'm sorry I snapped at you. I didn't mean it, honest. Now, tell me what's wrong."

"Well," Ness hiccupped quietly, "I lost… I lost my yo-yo!" The boy started to cry again, louder this time. Jazz frantically tried to quiet him down.

"Ness! You lost your yo-yo? Um, where did you see it last? Have you looked under your bed?"

"Y-yes… It's not there," he sniffled, and didn't quiet down any.

"Well, um, why don't we just buy you a new one?"

This turned out to be the worst possible thing she could have said. Ness stared at her silently for about three seconds, a look of immense horror etched on his face, and then all hell broke loose.

"_Buy a new yo-yo? Buy a NEW one! _How could you even _suggest_ such a thing! My _mother_ gave this one to me, and I'm not about to go _replacing it _with some cheap, lousy, messed-up store-bought yo-yo! I want _mine!_"

Jazz covered her ears and tried counting to ten. "Alright, _alright!_ We won't buy you a new one then. Will you please just be quiet for two seconds? I'll help you find your yo-yo!"

Ness calmed down a bit, but he still glared at her accusingly as they both trudged up the stairs to his dormitory. The two of them searched his room for a full fifteen minutes, Ness stopping occasionally to burst into a fresh bout of tears, before Jazz finally found the yo-yo _under his bed_. Jazz was pissed.

"You said you checked under there! How could you not have seen it?" she practically screamed, miraculously keeping from tearing her hair out in frustration.

Ness yelled back at her, clutching the yo-yo protectively to his chest. "Maybe I didn't see it because something was covering it! I don't know, but don't get mad at me!"

Jazz was fed up. She was filthy, sweaty, and now dusty, since the boy hadn't cleaned his room in what must have been eons. To make matters worse, she was now twenty minutes late for her meeting with Sarah. She figured it was best if she leave the room before she committed murder, and did so promptly.

Jasmine leapt down the stairs three at a time and sped down the hall at a run, conveniently forgetting that she had just told Ness off for doing the exact same thing. When she reached the office, she was gasping for breath.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry I'm late. Ness was being a little brat about his stupid yo-yo, and I-"

Suddenly, she realized exactly what she was looking at. It was deathly still in the small room, but it looked as though a very small tornado had taken place here a short while ago. Papers were strewn about and torn to bits. The curtains had been pulled from the window and shredded. The desk and chairs were toppled, and some of the chairs were broken. Filing cabinets were dented and the drawers had been pulled out and thrown around the room.

Jazz realized that she was gaping and quickly closed her mouth. She took a tentative step forward.

"Sarah?" she called in a light whisper, fear stealing through her. She took another step, trying not to step on anything important, and found her.

Sarah was slumped in the far corner of the room, crumpled in a little ball on her side. Her brown hair fell into her face, obscuring her eyes. Jazz managed to find herself quickly and rushed to the girl's side. She grabbed Sarah's shoulder and shook it gently.

"Sarah? Sarah! Come on, wake up," she called frantically. When she got no response, she brushed the manager's bangs out of her eyes. She was staring straight ahead, her eyes glazed and unblinking. Further inspection showed that she wasn't breathing. Needless to say, Jasmine was frightened.

Slowly, Jasmine reached out with a trembling hand and took Sarah's wrist. She held onto it tightly, counting seconds, hoping that the next second… the next second…

Jasmine fled from the room, sending a pile of papers flying, and slamming the door shut behind her.

**

* * *

Marth: OH MY GOD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?**

**Link: Whoa, I think he's gonna snap.**

**Roy: Did she really… I mean, is she really?**

**Karanos: Bo-ha-ha-ha! Wow, it's been a while since I've done that. I feel good.**

**KT: You'll just have to tune in next time! Which, by the by, should be by Monday at the latest.**

**Marth: Review, or I won't get to find out what happened to Sarah!**


	5. Chapter 5

**KT: Okay, okay, I know you all hate me. I promised to update something like two weeks ago, right? Well, I'm sorry for the breaking of the promise, and for the long wait. I have been extremely busy with schoolwork of late.**

**Roy: Ha! That's what you SAY.**

**Link: Right, we've seen you sitting down here playing Ocarina of Time all this past week!**

**Karanos: You broke contract twice to play Zelda!**

**KT: Well… yes. Sort of. I mean, no! No, not at all.**

**Roy: You know, Marth hasn't spoken to any of us since you posted your last chapter. He's still in the corner sulking.**

**Marth/sulks in the corner/**

**KT: Ah, right. Okay then, um… well, Marth, I need you to do the stuff.**

**Marth/glares at KT/ Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters. Especially not me. She does own Sarah Holly and Jasmine Miles.**

**KT: o…kay, that'll do, I guess. Um… Karanos, why don't you introduce the chapter?**

**Karanos: Chapter. Woo.**

**

* * *

"Lo! Darkness bends down like a mother of grief on the limitless plain, and the fall of her hair it has mantled a world." – Joaquin Miller**

Roy sat in his room, attempting to read. His own thoughts were keeping him from actually doing so. It's funny how one person can be so distracting to you, he thought as he gave up and put his book to the side. Jasmine had that effect on him. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up spacing out in the middle of a battle because some stray thought reminded him of the blond girl.

The thing was, Jazz was so shy about their relationship that she insisted on keeping it a secret from everyone, including their group of friends. Only Sarah had been told of it, and that was only because she would have found out anyway. It bothered Roy that he couldn't show his feelings for her to others, but he didn't really mind it as much as he pretended to.

"It's just not fair. I mean, Marth's practically _living_ with Sarah now, so why can't we even hold hands in front of our friends? They'd be accepting of us! It's not like we're some weird kind of couple… damn woman…" Roy mumbled to himself, flopping back on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

The sound of running feet came from the hallway, muffled slightly by the closed door. Roy sighed and closed his eyes. It was probably Young Link or Ness messing around. They were always weird if they woke up too early in the mornings.

The door flew open with a bang. Roy jumped up, surprised, and looked to see who had invaded his peaceful morning. His annoyance turned to concern when he registered Jasmine standing before him, white with fear.

"Jasmine? What's wrong?"

Jasmine stepped forward, bursting into tears and sobbing against his chest. Roy hastily put his arms around her. He let her cry for a moment before pushing her away and looking into her eyes.

"Jasmine, what happened? Why are you crying?" he asked quietly, holding her shoulders.

Jazz swallowed a couple times before she was able to say anything coherent. "I… I saw… Sarah's… she's gone… dead…"

Roy unconsciously tightened his grip on her shoulders. It couldn't be. Jazz must have been mistaken. "She's what?"

"Dead! I couldn't… I just found her…" Jasmine let out a terrified, strangled wail. "What will they think? I… I just _found _her… I didn't do it!"

Roy stared at her. "Jasmine, there's no way that anyone will think that you did this, if this is really what's happened. Calm down, love, you're not helping anything by being hysterical."

Jazz turned away from him, but took his hand and pulled him out into the hall. "I can't say it… I can't. You have to see…" She pulled him again, leading him to Sarah's office.

Roy stared at the destruction of the office before him. He looked over his shoulder at Jasmine questioningly, and she pointed one finger at the far corner of the room. Roy stepped gingerly around the broken furniture and papers until he could see Sarah. The manager was lying motionless on the floor.

"She's in exactly the same position as when I left…" he heard Jazz whisper over his shoulder. Roy crouched down and touched Sarah tentatively.

"Sarah?" He called softly, already knowing that there would be no answer. He took hold of her shoulder, intending to lift her into a sitting position. His fingers ran into something odd, however. When he took a closer look, it appeared to be a large needle. Silently, he pulled it out. It _was_ a needle, long and cruel-looking. Roy held it up so Jasmine could see it, too.

"I think we'd better take her to the hospital wing. I mean, she can't stay here…" Roy trailed off. He felt numb all over. It was like walking through a dream. He didn't feel like this was really happening. He couldn't really feel it as he picked up his friend and carried her through the halls, couldn't feel any real emotions, couldn't think straight.

When they reached the hospital wing, no one was there. Jazz called for Doctor Mario while Roy put Sarah on one of the beds, but there was no answer. Jazz began to cry again, and Roy pulled her into a hug, feeling like he might cry as well. He held it back for her sake.

At that moment, the door opened, revealing Link and Doctor Mario. Both of them looked surprised to see Roy and Jazz there.

"Roy? What's going on?" Link asked. Doctor Mario noticed Sarah on the bed and stepped over to her.

Roy turned to look at Link. "It's Sarah. She's-"

"Oh my goodness! She's dead!" Doctor Mario cried out. Link snapped his attention over to the little doctor instantly.

"What?"

Jazz looked up. "It's true… I found her in… in her office."

Link stared at her, and then turned back to Sarah. "Oh, Goddesses…"

Doctor Mario turned to Roy and Jazz. "What happened? Tell me everything."

Jazz sniffed. "I… her office is a mess… I went in there this morning to start work, and… I just found her there."

"This was stuck in her shoulder," Roy spoke up, holding out the needle he had removed from Sarah's shoulder. The doctor took it from him delicately and examined it.

"Strange markings. I wonder… it may have been poisoned. I'll have to run some tests to see. Leave for a little while. I can't do such research with people around."  
He bustled off into the back room, carrying the needle as though it might explode. The three friends were left alone in the silent hospital wing. No one spoke for a long time. Everyone simply stared from one face to the other, always returning to Sarah's.

Finally, Jasmine spoke up. It was barely more than a whisper, but the words made Roy shiver with an uncontrollable fear.

"How are we going to tell Marth?"

**

* * *

Marth: You really killed her…**

**Link: That's interesting. At least it wasn't Zelda this time.**

**Roy: Look, just don't make me be the one to tell Marth in the story, okay?**

**KT: Yes, Sarah is dead. I'm sorry if you all really liked her. I mean, I really liked her, but… it just felt right.**

**Karanos/snickers/ It's all part of my character development plan…**

**Marth: Please review… I want to know what happens next.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Karanos: I am so totally pissed. WHERE is KT?**

**Roy: Look, I really don't know. None of us have seen her for over a month now.**

**Link: Yeah, so stop grilling us for information.**

**Marth: You might as well grill a lamppost for all the good it'll do you.**

**Karanos: Insolent fools! How dare you speak to your captain that way?**

**KT/skips into the room/ Hi guys! How's life been?**

**Link: Look! There she is!**

**Karanos: Why, KT! How lovely to see you! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!**

**KT: Ah! I've been… busy! Very busy! But I have a chapter now! Would you like to see it?**

**Karanos/glares/**

**KT: I'll… take that as a yes. Marth? Please do the stuff… quickly.**

**Marth: Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel does not own SSBM or any of its characters. She does own Sarah Holly and Jasmine Miles.**

**KT: Yay! Roy, you introduce the chapter today!**

**Roy: Finally, after a terribly long wait, Chapter 6!**

**

* * *

"There is no such thing as darkness; only a failure to see." – Malcolm Muggeridge**

It was a lovely day. Everything was going wonderfully, all according to Marth's perfect routine. Yes, the prince was a bit of a perfectionist, and he'd be the first to admit it, but he liked knowing that everything had its set time and place. And yes, he did enjoy mornings quite a bit. They were always so quiet and peaceful, the perfect compliment to his own disposition.

At the beginning of every perfect morning, the young prince would wake early enough to get to the dining hall first of all the Smashers. On most days, he ate a leisurely breakfast, taking the only chance of the entire day to enjoy a _quiet_ dining hall, though today's meeting with Link had been a rare exception. Sure, it meant having to make his own breakfast most of the time, but it was worth it, and since he wasn't too bad of a cook, it didn't bother him in the least.

At a quarter past five, Marth would move on to the training rooms for some exercise. Usually he trained with his sword, but occasionally he worked on something different. Since he was a little later than he would have liked to be today, he had a shorter workout than normal. On most days, he followed his workout routine with a quick shower and then either a walk around the grounds if it was nice outside or a trip to the mansion's dusty library.

Of course, by this time, the morning would be over. The other Smashers would all be awake by now, some of the younger ones tearing madly around the place, disturbing the still silence of the morning like nothing else could. It was about this time that he would begin to get his "noon headache," and he would have to close his book or turn around and come back from his walk in time for some lunch.

Lunch was the lesser of two evils when it came to dining with the other Smashers. Everyone had their own definition of Lunch Time, and the dining hall was therefore less crowded than it was during dinner. Marth would have his lunch with whichever of his friends were around at the time, usually Sarah, Peach, Zelda, and Roy.

His whole plan fell apart after lunch, though. Every day was different, especially now that the Tournament had started up again. He might have a battle to fight, or sometimes even two in one day. He might go to cheer on one of his friends in their own battles, or perhaps none of them would have a battle at all. Each day was its own separate entity, and he couldn't possibly begin to create a routine for his day after lunch, which was probably the main reason why he liked mornings so much to begin with. They were just so predictable, and he _liked_ predictable things.

Marth sighed contentedly. He'd never been happier in his entire life than he was now. He'd finally gotten over his trauma with Altea, and his life seemed to be simply falling into place. Sarah was obviously a big help with that, and he'd probably never have come to terms with his role in the destruction of his kingdom without her. He smiled to himself as he thought of her

He had finished his workout and had just taken his shower. He had managed to get back on track with his routine, despite his over-long breakfast conversation with Link. It was such a pretty day out today, and he intended to stay outside as much as possible. He did have a battle this afternoon, but maybe he'd have a chance to get back outside afterwards.

The soft sound of voices interrupted Marth's train of thought as he passed a room. Glancing through the door, he saw Peach and Roy sitting on a sofa. Boldly taking more time out of his strict routine, the prince stepped into the room. He smiled as his friends looked up at him, apparently surprised by his sudden entrance. Link and Jazz were there along with Roy and Peach.

"I see you've decided to have a party here and not invited me. I'm appalled!" Marth said lightly, leaning against the doorframe. When no one said anything, he continued. "How's Zelda doing? She must not be too badly off, since Link isn't going on about quack doctors."

Marth's smile faded slowly as he realized that none of his friends looked even remotely happy. Peach was gaping at him, and she didn't seem to realize that her mouth was open slightly. Roy and Link simply looked at him with something like sympathy on their faces. When Marth looked at Jazz's face a second time, he could see that it was tearstained and dirty.

"Is… something wrong? Oh my God, _is_ Zelda okay?" He asked tentatively. He hadn't meant to be making jokes if something had really happened to Zelda. Maybe she had worsened since breakfast, and they had all been talking about it when he came in. the prince immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over him.

Link stood up suddenly, bringing Marth out of his reverie. The Hero approached him slowly, his shoulders hunched as though he lacked the strength to lift them. Marth looked at him concernedly.

"Link? Are you okay?" He whispered.

Link looked at him and swallowed hard. "Marth… you're not going to like this."

Marth felt his heart rate increase by about three. Something _had _happened to Zelda. She was in a coma, she'd contracted some deadly disease, she'd been injured again and was slowly bleeding to death. A million possible happenings passed through his mind in the ten second pause, and yet none of them even touched on what he heard slip from the Hylian's lips moments later.

"Sarah's dead, Marth. Jazz found her this morning in her office."

Marth felt his blood turn to ice. _Sarah's dead. Sarah's dead. Sarah's dead. Dead dead dead dead…_

He was vaguely aware that Link was still speaking, that the others had joined him in the act of forming words with their mouths, but he could not comprehend what those strange sounds could possibly mean. They were thick, fuzzy sounds that rang dully in his ears.

After a moment, he realized that his own mouth was forming words out of similar strange sounds. It took him a moment to focus in on the sounds and make some sense of them. His own body was ahead of his brain it seemed, and was issuing a reaction to the piece of information it had just been given. It turned out to be a very simple message that his mouth was sending to those around him.

"You're lying. You're lying, you're lying, you're lying. You're _lying!_" He ended, screaming, his fists balled tightly.

So ended Marth's perfect morning.

**

* * *

KT: Wow, I personally really like this chapter. What do you think?**

**Karanos: I think you're never going to have such a long break again. Or else. /brandishes whip/**

**Marth: I can't believe you really killed her…**

**Roy: This is kind of depressing.**

**Link: Are you guys going to eat these chips? Cause if you aren't, I will.**

**KT: Well, you know how it goes. Reviews are loved!**


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